Avatar : The Missing Airbender
by Coldpockets
Summary: ZukoAang. Aang goes missing, and everyone panics. Everyone, that is, except Zuko. “Nylah got you confused with Aang. Are you wearing his clothes, or something?"


Title: Avatar, the Misssing Airbender  
Word Count: 1266  
Rating: T, for...something I forget.  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters herein contained. I only own the text.

So. Rather humorous one shot about my current favorite show. Finally watched the last episode, which, well, made me really happy. Seriously. Can see now why Zutara is such a popular pairing (read: complete with a great number of rabid fangirls), though it didn't make a fan of me. Anyway. Enjoy.

* * *

Sometime after Zuko has been Firelord for two years, Aang goes missing. It takes some time for the others to notice; people are always in and out of Iroh's tea shop, and it is difficult to keep track of who comes and who goes. It isn't until Katara wanders in and asks where he is that anyone notices he hasn't come by in more than a month. Sokka is of the opinion that the avatar has been kidnapped by angry saber-toothed moose-lions, Katara is sure he's been trapped by angry firebenders, and Toph offers the opinion that he is on the lion-turtle's back again. Iroh just continues serving tea and muttering phrases that Zuko is sure he thinks are wise. Suki offers to send her warriors on a search for him, but though this idea is most enthusiastically taken up, Katara dampens it. It is, after all, highly impractical to go trawling all over the world to search for one person. Sokka shouts something about having an idea, but no one pays any attention. Considering his lingering obsession with the saber-toothed moose-lion idea, this isprobably the wisest course of action. It is Katara again who suggests they once again pay a visit to Jun, an idea who all but Sokka recognize as reasonable. Without much ado—which can here be taken to mean a great deal more of ado than should have been had—they set off in search of the seediest bar on the edge of Ba-Sing-Se.

Jun is in the middle of a brawl when Katara pushes through the door, which is not surprising. She perks up slightly when she sees them, though sighs when she counts them off.

"No Avatar again, huh?" she asks, drinking some whiskey.

"No. That's why we need you."

"Mm." She finishes her drink and sets it down on the table, flicking a coin to the bartender before marching out the door. Katara can barely keep up, Sokka dragging Suki who dragged Toph after them. In the yard behind the bar is Nylah is sniffing Jun eagerly. She produces a strip of meat, which she tosses to the shirshu.

"So I assume you have something with his scent on it?"

"Oh, uh yeah. I have this," Katara said, holding out one of Aang's extra shirts. Nylah sniffs it, and immediately seems to pick up the scent. Katara jumps up onto Nylah's back with Jun while Suki and Toph and Sokka jump on the ostrich-horses they'd brought. They set off right away, everyone except Jun anxious to find their missing friend.

They end up in the fire nation, near Zuko's palace. That's when Nylah starts twitching crazily, and Jun stops.

"I don't know if we should go any farther. I don't really feel like getting on scar-boy's bad side. And bursting in on the palace grounds would definitely do that."

Katara pauses. Zuko drops by his uncle's tea shop often, considering that he has a country to run, but they haven't seen him in a month, at least. This is not as alarming as not seeing Aang, so nobody notices.

"I think it'll be okay," Katara says, hesitantly. Jun shrugs and nudges the shirshu on, scrambling over the wall. Sokka, Suki, and Toph dismount, following them clumsily. They run after the others, trying to be stealthy. Jun stops at the entrance to what seems to be a flower garden.

"We're close," Jun whispers, pulling Nylah to a creep. Suddenly, the shirshu goes crazy, bounding into the garden, snarling. Her tongue shoots out, hitting someone in the back. They hear him cursing.

"Zuko?" Katara asks incredulously. He curses again.

"Katara? And Jun? What are you guys doing?" he asked, sounding confused. "And why did you have her sting me?"

"Well, uh," Katara begins, "we were searching for Aang." Zuko flushes, but no one notices.

"Nylah got you confused with Aang. Are you wearing his clothes, or something?" Jun asks skeptically, feeding the shirshu another strip of meat. Zuko groans.

"How long does the paralysis last?" he asks, wearily.

"Well, it should wear off pretty soon," Katara tells him pacifyingly. They sit in silence for a moment, everyone not looking at each other. Finally, Zuko wiggles his fingers.

"About time," he grunts, slowly sitting up.

"So, seriously. _Are_ you wearing the Avatar's clothes?" Jun asks impatiently.

"No, of course not," Zuko says angrily. Jun raises an eyebrow and he blushes, pulling at his collar. There she sees a love bite, normally just out of sight, but now quite visible. She smiles a secret smile, deciding to stick around for a little while. The others notice neither his collar bone nor his blush**. **They're too busy scouring the bushes for Aang.

"He's gotta be around here," Katara mutters. Suddenly Toph shouts, yanking Aang out of a rhododendron bush. He looks sheepish, anxiously pulling his clothes to their limits to cover his neck and stomach.

"Uh, hey guys," he says, rubbing his neck. They stare at him, and he blushes. He's become a tall fifteen year old, slim but muscular. His robe barely covers half his chest, something he seems very nervous about.

"Aang! What happened! You have bruises all over!" Zuko tries to sneak away, but his coordination hasn't quite returned and he trips. Jun catches him.

"Not so fast, loverboy," she says, chuckling. He growls with a red face, but she just pushes him onto the ground.

"Well, there's kind of a funny story," Aang says, slowly backing away from his friends. Toph trips him, and he lands hard.

"Oh, yes, there is," Jun says, smirking. "Now I wonder…would Nylah mistake Aang for Zuko?" She gives Zuko a look, and he pales. Aang looks scared.

"What's she talking about? Zuko? Aang?"

"Look, you wanted to know if Aang was okay. You can see that he is. Isn't that enough?" Zuko asks, a trace of desperation in his voice.

"Yeah, but--" Sokka says, but Suki elbows him in the stomach. She looks knowingly between Zuko and Aang, both sprawled on the ground before dragging Sokka away.

"I assume our rooms are already ready?" she shot over her shoulder at Zuko. At Sokka's protests, she elbowed him again, with an "I'll explain later" to him. Toph sighs, wandering after the pair slowly, though her bangs don't completely hide her smirk. Katara just looks back and forth between Aang and Zuko before following her friends. Jun gives the pair a look, smiling.

"Well, well, well. The Firelord and the Avatar. What a pair the two of you make," she says, shaking her head. A moment later, she and Nylah are both gone. Zuko hoists himself up and makes his way to the sitting Aang. Silently, he holds out a hand, pulling up the Avatar and embracing him. He is still just a few inches taller than the other teen, and he uses this to his advantage as he tilts Aang's chin up and kisses him.

"Hey, are--" Katara breaks off as she makes her way back into the garden. "Oh. Oh," she says, blushing. "I should, uh, go and see…" and she stumbles away. Zuko laughs and Aang looks uncertain.

"D'you think she's okay?" Aang asks, looking at Zuko. Zuko smiles.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine. She wasn't in love with you anymore, you know. She moved on just like you did."

"Oh, well, when you put it like that…" Aang says, smiling.

"At least they won't have to wonder why I smelled so much like you," Zuko says. The others can hear Aang's laugh from the balcony of the palace.


End file.
